I bought it today from Sephora in Barcelona. In their website it's listed as "God Save the Queen", yet on the bottle it just says "Sex Pistols"; the box, on the other side, features the popular newspaper image of the queen with her eyes and moth torn to reveal the title. http://sephora.fr/browse/product.jht...ryId=ETATLIBRE
The opening instantly reminded me of Paul Smith Man (the black one, not PS for Men) - something that I thought was a single note and always wondered what it is... looking at the lists of notes it's more likely the combination of citrus and patchouli that I recognize. Anyway, i find the opening similar. Nothing peppery to me at all.
Then it settles to a quite calm, resinous, ambery and a little earthy smell with aldehydes sparkling on top, replacing the citrus in their own way, but it's all subtle. I find the comparison to Hermes correct. Could be un quite successful Jardin Dans Le Nuit - with leather added. Leather shows up beautiful, a little smokey, and again quite subtle, in the end it becomes dominant, making a great skin scent. Mind you, this has nothing to do with, say, leather in Vierges and Toreros or other ELO scents - this is 10 times quieter.
I read what i could find about it in the net and I understand the disappointment and ruined expectations for both the brand and the name. I don't feel the need to discuss it though, because this aside, I actually like the scent a lot.

...well, except for 2 things: silage and longevity. Terrible. Now this is real disappointment.

Note: technically this scent comes under the name of Editions des Sens and not Etat Libre d'Orange.

"I exist for myself, and for those to whom my unquenchable thirst for freedom gives everything, but also for everyone, since insofar as I am able to love - I love everyone. Of noble hearts, I am the noblest - and the most generous of those that yearn to give love in return. - I am a human being, I love death and I love life."

Man, the Pistols sold out big time. Remember the liner images on Nevermind the Bollocks? There was one picture of a letter asking to name a shampoo after them and use their images in its promotions. At the bottom of the letter was (apparently) Sid Vicious's scrawl, scratching out "Told NO!" and the date.

I do think the Sex Pistols sold out. This commercialism really goes against the "rebel" attitude they purported in their heyday.

Johnny Rotten is a sell out. While I do like good celeb fragrances ( Alain Delon scents, Cumming...etc), I would not seek a bottle of this. A few years ago, Rotten was giving a press conference in I believe Toronto. He was wearing $300 runners and bragging about how much "street cred" he had. During the conference, he made crude remarks about a cameraman in the crowd being overweight. Disgusting behavior.